This study uses Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data to examine latent profiles of engagement in reading, numeracy, writing, and computer skills-use for U.S. adults with low literacy skills. Additionally, we examine how these profiles relate to overall literacy performance and demographic heterogeneity.…

In the most recent assessment by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), approximately 19% of adults in the United States scored at or below Level 1 in literacy (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019a). Adults who performed at Level 1 were only able to identify one key piece of information from…

Childhood education affects how individuals adapt to the challenges of adulthood. Although various generalizations are made relating childhood educational experiences to characteristics of adults, there is scant evidence to support those assertions for adult literacy learners in the United States. This study investigates the relationship of…

Statistical analyses of data from an academically diverse sample of 276 adult basic and secondary education learners extends understanding of the relation of and interactions between oral reading fluency and reading competence indices. Significant interactions between total word rate and word error rate that differed in relation to two measures of…

This paper provides Appendix D, Standard Error tables, for the full report, entitled. "Literacy, Numeracy, and Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments among U.S. Adults: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012. First Look. NCES 2014-008." The full report presents results of the Program…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large scale study of adult skills and life experience focusing on education and employment that was developed and organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the United States, the study was conducted in 2011-12 with a…

The extant literature offers little to describe the processes for screening students in adult basic education (ABE) programs for potential learning disabilities, referring adult students for diagnostic assessment, or barriers to obtaining diagnostic assessment for a learning disability. Without current documentation of a learning disability, ABE…

Each month, the Literacy Information and Communication System ("LINCS") will feature one of the three LINCS Resource Collections--Basic Skills, Program Management, and Workforce Competitiveness--and introduce research-based resources that practitioners can use in their adult and family literacy programs and classrooms. This edition features the…

Low literacy levels in adult learners pose an educational and public health challenge to practitioners and the scientific community. Increasing demands placed on literacy can limit opportunities in the workplace and access to health-related resources, negatively affecting public health. Current estimates from the National Center for Education…

These are tough times for adult and community learning, with many providers struggling to sustain a broad curriculum offer that includes a wide-ranging adult learning programme. South Devon College is determined to keep its flourishing adult offer alive but realises that, with funding increasingly scarce, it has to find innovative ways of ensuring…

From 1999 to 2005, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) did an annual review and synthesis of adult literacy research. This did not continue due to reallocation of federal education funds. To fill a portion of the gap left by NCSALL's departure, this adult literacy literature review analyzes and synthesizes the…

The primary purpose of this report is to explore within the Canadian context the relationship between Self-Reported Learning Disabilities (SRLD) and low literacy performance using the Canadian portion of the public data set from the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALSS). Two primary research questions related to SRLD…

This study of 311 adult education learners found 29% self-reported having a specific learning disability (SLD). Significant differences in demographic, academic, and life experience variables between the adult learners with and without SLD included prior participation in special education, having both an SLD diagnosis and a high school diploma,…

Catalyst, a quarterly newsletter from the Institute's Communications Office, contains news, information, and features about the programs and services of the National Institute for Literacy. Contents of this issue include: (1) Shanahan on the National Early Literacy Panel Report: What's in Store; (2) Director's Message; (3) Representative Fattah to…

The learning difficulties of 23 adults were investigated in order to determine ways to better serve their literacy needs. These adults were all living in poverty, had less than eighth-grade literacy levels, and had failed to graduate from high school. The participants' records were examined and structured interviews were conducted with them; also,…